Clothes pressing apparatus



Aug. 15, 1967 A. A. VILLONE CLOTHES PRESSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 10, 1965 INVENTOR. ATTILIO A. VILLONE ATTORNEYS 2 4 4 .4 v w Y J 8 m w v m 2 X a P 2 I 6 A 6 m M V M R M FF 0 m Aug. 15, 1967 A. A. VILLONE CLOTHES PRESSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1965 INVENTOR ATTILIO A. v11.

LONE

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,335,926 CLGTHES PRESSING APPARATUS Attilio A. Villone, 6 Whittier Place, Boston, Mass. 02114 Filed Dec. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 513,059 9 Claims. (Cl. 22357) This invention relates to improvements in clothes pressing apparatus, and more particularly to a new and improved buck for blocking a shoulder of a garment, such as a mans suit coat.

During manufacture, after an article of clothing, such as a mans suit coat, is sewn, it is then necessary to subject the coat to a series of pressing or blocking operations so that it takes the correct form to properly fit the wearer. One of the important pressing operations is the blocking of the shoulders of the suit coat.

In accordance with conventional practice, a manuallyoperated press is employed in performing this operation. The press typically includes a base having a pair of footoperated levers and supporting a vertical hollow pedestal having a collar supporting a platform terminating at its rear end in an upstanding shield for supporting and protecting the body of the coat. Rising from the rear of the platform are a pair of vertical support arms connected by a horizontal rod on which pivot the arms supporting the hollow steam applying head. This head is provided with a handle and a concave face which is perforated to allow the egress of steam and usually covered with a fine wire mesh. The hollow shoulder pressing or blocking buck which is usually padded and then covered first with wire mesh and next with cloth, is mounted on the top of the pedestal and has an elongated oval outer contour of generally semi-circular cross-section.

In blocking the suit coat shoulders, the coat is placed so that the shoulder fits over and rests upon the buck with the shoulder seam extending approximately along the central longitudinal axis of the upper surface of the buck and the open coat front facing to the right or left, depending upon which shoulder is being blocked. Next, the operator grasps the handle of the press head to lower its face into engagement with coat shoulder and operates one of the levers to lock the head in pressing position. Following this, he activates the other lever to apply steam from the head through the coat shoulder, whereupon the steam is exhausted through the buck, which is also perforated, and the hollow pedestal.

Inasmuch as the face of the pressing head conforms generally to the outer contour of the buck, the fabric of the coat shoulder is forced to conform to such contour by the downward pressure applied on each side of the seam. As a consequence, the fabric is stretched downwardly along the surface of the buck, resulting in a distorted appearance in the finished coat shoulder, and thereby creating, instead of solving, a problem in obtaining a proper fit. Moreover, such conventional buck is designed to block both shoulders, which are not of the same shape, and therefore cannot possibly fit either one properly.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art by providing a new and improved buck which is so constructed and designed as to present an outer or upper surface contour which conforms to the desired shoulder shape, thereby eliminating distortion of the fabric during the blocking operation and permitting the coat shoulder to drape properly on the shoulder of the wearer.

Another object is to provide such a buck which is designed to fit one coat shoulder, not both shoulders, and thereby ensure proper blocking thereof.

Still another object is to provide such a buck which is designed so that it has one contour for fitting one shoulder and a mirror image contour for fitting the other shoulder.

3,335,926 Patented Aug. 15, 1967 A further object is to provide such a buck which is designed to speed production by mounting two such bucks on a press for simultaneously blocking the opposite shoulders of two suit coats in a single operation.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevation of a press having two bucks mounted thereon for simultaneously blocking the opposite shoulders of two mens suit coats, with each buck constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrating in top plan the upper surfaces of both bucks, with suit coats shown in phantom with their opposite shoulders in position on the bucks;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 and illustrating structural details of the upper and lower portions of the right hand buck;

FIG. 4 is a reduced perspective view of the upper portion of the buck of FIG. 3, but with the various padding and covering materials uncovered to more clearly show its contour on both sides of a longitudinal axial plane;

FIG. 5 is a reduced top plan view of the buck of FIG. 3, but with such padding and covering removed to more clearly show the relative positions of the longitudinal axial plane and the shoulder seam;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the buck of FIG. 5, but with the upper buck portion removed to show structural details of the lower buck portion, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 5 to show one of the means for fastening the upper and lower back portions together.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, use of the inventive buck involves a press generally indicated at 10, and provided with a base 12 provided with two foot-operated levers, lever 14 for locking the press head in pressing position and lever 16 for applying steam. Mounted on base 12 are a pair of vertical and hollow, cylindrical pedestals 18 provided with collars 20 supporting a platform 22 having an upstanding rear shield 24 for receiving and protecting two garments G and G such as mens suit coats to be blocked. A pair of arms 26 rise from the rear of platform 22 and are connected by a rod 28 on which pivot the depending arms 30 of a transversely elongated and hollow, pressing and steam applying head 32 having a perforated lower surface of rounded, generally trapezoidal outer contour and divided into a central fiat portion 34 and outer downwardly concave portions 36, 38 for a purpose to be described in greater detail below. Head 32 is also provided with a handle 40 for lowering the same into a horizontal operative position (not shown) for pressing.

Returning to pedestals 18, their portions projecting above platform are covered with the usual protective cloth wrapping 42, and on their upper ends are mounted a pair of bucks, each constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention. The buck for blocking the left shoulder of one garment G is mounted on the right pedestal and is generally indicated at 44, while the buck for blocking the right shoulder of another garment G is mounted on the left pedestal, and is generally indicated at 44'. Inasmuch as each buck is the mirror image of the other, a detailed description of the right hand buck 44 will suffice for both, the corresponding portions of buck 44' being designated by the same numerals primed.

Like the other components of press 10, the inventive bucks preferably are made of suitable metal, and as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5-7, buck 44 includes a hollow lower portion 46 having an elongated irregular outer contour of generally cup shaped cross-section and including a substantially flat and horizontal lower wall portion 48 suitably mounted on the open upper end of right pedestal 18, such as by welding, and provided with a central through bore 5t) aligned with the interior of the pedestal. Projecting upwardly from lower Wall portion 48 are upstanding rear, left side, front and right side wall portions 52, 54, 56 and 58 respectively. These upstanding wall portions which are rounded at their external corners, are provided with thickened boss portions 60 at their internal corners and terminate at their upper edges in a substantially flat and horizontal upper peripheral surface 62 provided with internally threaded openings 64 extending vertically downwardly into boss portions 60.

Supported on lower buck portion 46 is a hollow upper buck portion 66 which has a similar elongated irregular outer contour of inverted, generally cup-shaped crosssection and including an upper Wall portion 68 provided with through perforations 70 for the passage of steam. Depending downwardly from upper wall portion 68 are rear, left side, front and right side wall portions 72, 74, 76 and 78 respectively, and which correspond to such upstanding wall portions of lower buck portion 46. These depending wall portions, which are likewise rounded at their external corners, are provided at their internal corners with thickened boss portions 80 corresponding to boss portions 60 and terminate at their lower edges in a substantially flat and horizontal lower peripheral surface 82 mating with surface 62 and provided with openings 84 aligned with openings 64 and extending vertically upwardly into boss portions 88. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, each opening 84 is also connected by a shoulder with an enlarged countersunk portion 86 extending upwardly completely through its boss portion 80 and upper buck portion 66.

When the upper and lower buck portions are assembled, suitable fastening means, such as screws 88 are inserted into countersunk portions 86 and threaded into openings 64 until their countersunk head portions bear against the shoulders connecting openings 84 and enlarged portions 86, to firmly secure the buck portions together. The enlarged portions 86 are preferably filled with any suitable substance, as at 90, to lock the screws in place and provide smooth outer surfaces on upper back portion 66 for the various covering and protective layers.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the first layer 92 placed over upper buck portion 66 is one of cloth, and this is followed by a layer 94 of fine wire mesh which also extends down over lower buck portion 46. Next, a porous resilient layer 96 of sponge rubber or the like is placed over only the upper surface of upper buck portion 66, and finally an outer layer 98 of cloth is extended down over the entire buck and the adjacent upper portion of covered pedestal 18, whereupon this outer layer is secured in place by a suitable cord 100. The purpose of such covering over the buck is to protect the shoulder of the garment against scorching and to provide a slightly yielding surface to prevent undesired creasing of the garment fabric. The lower surface of head 32 may be similarly covered, if so desired.

The outer contour of upper buck portion 66, and particularly that of its upper surface constitutes a most important feature of the invention, and is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The upper surface of upper wall portion 68 is designated generally at 689 and is of elongated quadrilateral contour rounded at the corners and along its edges. This upper surface is divided by a substantially horizontal and central longitudinal axis XX of the buck into a substantially flat and horizontal, quadrilateral portion 682 and an upwardly convex, trilateral portion 684 formed as a continuation of and curving downwardly from portion 682 about substantially horizontal axes such as X X (FIG. 4) and X X (FIG. 3) spaced below and substantially parallel to axis XX, with radii of curvature diminishing or decreasing from the front end to the rear end of surface 688. These axes, together with axis XX, lie in a central and substantially vertical, longitudinal axial plane P of the buck.

The rear, left side, front and right side wall portions 72, '74, 76 and 78 respectively have outer rear, left side, front and right side surfaces 720, 740, 760 and 780 respectively and which surfaces are rounded at their corners and along their upper edges to merge smoothly with upper surface 680. The rear surface 720 is of substantially vertical and outwardly concave, generally rectangular contour and curves about a substantially vertical axis (not shown) outwardly and forwardly from plane P to left side surface 740 to define on fiat upper surface portion 682 a substantially horizontal and outwardly concave rear edge 6821-. This concave edge is designed to conform to the collar seam CS, as shown in FIG. 2.

Continuing with FIGS. 4 and 5, left side surface 740 is divided longitudinally into lower portion 742 and upper portion 744, each of substantially fiat and generally triangular contour. Lower portion 742 is substantially vertical and parallel to plane P and tapers forwardly from rear surface 720 to the lower edge of front surface 760, while upper portion 744 is inclined upwardly and inwardly toward plane P from lower portion 742 to fiat upper surface portion 682. Thus, upper portion 744 tapers rearwardly from front surface 760 to the upper edge of rear surface 720 to define on fiat upper surface portion 682 a substantially horizontal and straight side edge 682s formed as a continuation of rear edge 682iand converging forwardly toward plane P. As shown in FIG. 2, this side edge limits the lateral extent of the shoulder portion lying to the left of the axis XX which is to be pressed fiat and causes such portion to taper forwardly and inwardly toward the sleeve and shoulder seam SS for properly draping over the front shoulder portion of the wearer.

Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the front surface 760 is substantially flat and vertical and is divided by plane P into portions 762 and 764. Portion 762 is of generally quadrangular contour and extends forwardly and inwardly from upper left side surface portion 744 to plane P to define on flat upper surface portion 682 a substantially horizontal and straight front edge portion 682i formed as a continuation of side edge 682s. Portion 764 is of trilateral contour and tapers forwardly and outwardly from plane P to the lower edge of right side surface 780 in the same plane as portion 762 to define on convex upper surface portion 684 an upwardly convex front edge portion 684 formed as a continuation of and curving downwardly from straight front edge portion 682; about axis X X These two front edge portions are designed to conform to the desired contour of the sleeve and shoulder seam SS in the shoulder area being blocked, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

Continuing with FIGS. 4 and 5, the right side surface 780 is of outwardly convex and substantially vertical, trilateral contour curving about a substantially vertical axis (not shown). Surface 780 tapers forwardly and outwardly from rear surface 720 and plane P to the lower edge of front surface portion 764 to define on convex upper surface portion 684 an outwardly convex side edge 684s formed as a continuation of and curving upwardly, inwardly and rearwardly from convex front edge portion 684] to rear edge 6821'. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, this side edge 684s determines the lateral extent and contour of the rear shoulder portion lying to the right of shoulder seam S, while the rearwardly diminishing radii of convex upper surface portion 684 determine the degree of curvature to be introduced in the shoulder portion during blocking, for properly draping over the rear shoulder portion of the wearer.

Continuing with FIG. 2, prior to the blocking operation, the garments G and G are placed over bucks 44 and 44' respectively with their front portions facing outwardly from the straight side edges 682s and 682s toward each other, their shoulder seams S and S extending centrally along the flat upper surface portions substantially parallel to the axes XX and X'-X' their sleeve and shoulder seams SS and SS extending along the front edge portions 682f-684f and 682f'684;f', and their collar seams CS and CS extending along rear edges 682r and 6821-. Next, the operator lowers head 32, operates lever 14 to lock the head in pressing position (not shown) and operates lever 16 to apply steam through head 32 and bucks 44 and 44 to simultaneously block the opposite shoulders of garments G and G, it being evident that left buck 44' blocks the right shoulder of garment G while right buck 44 blocks the left shoulder of garment G. Obviously, to complete the blocking operations on the two garments, they are simply reversed on the bucks. Hence, by so employing two bucks, each the mirror image of the other, each buck conforms to one of the two desired shoulder contours to be produced, but not to both. At the same time, the simultaneous use of the two bucks doubles the production rate over a single buck.

As noted above, the lower surface of head 32 includes a substantially flat central portion 34 and outer, downwardly concave portions 36, 38. These portions are divided along extensions of planes P and P in the same manner as upper surface portions 680 and 680', so that central portion 34 is adapted to mate with flat portions 682 and 682 while concave portions 36, 38 are adapted to mate with convex portions 684 and 684' respectively, when head 32 is lowered to pressing position wherein flat surface 34 is substantially horizontal.

It is now apparent how the present invention accomplishes its objects, and numerous advantages of the invention likewise are evident. While the present invention has been described and illustrated herein by reference to certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concept, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A buck for blocking a shoulder of a garment, such as a mans suit coat, and comprising an elongated quadrilated upper surface rounded at its corners and along its edges and divided along a longitudinal axis into a substantially flat quadrilateral portion and an upwardly convex trilateral portion, each of said portions extending from the front end to the rear end of said upper surface, and said trilateral portion being formed as a continuation of and curving downwardly from said flat portion about axes spaced below and substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis with radii of curvature diminishing from the front end to the rear end of said upper surface.

.2. The buck of claim 1 wherein said fiat upper surface portion has an outwardly concave rear edge curving outwardly and forwardly from said longitudinal axis, a substantially straight side edge formed as a continuation of and extending forwardly from said rear edge, and a substantially straight front edge portion formed as a continuation of and extending forwardly and inwardly from said side edge to said axis, and said convex upper surface portion has an upwardly convex front edge portion formed as a continuation of said straight front edge portion and curving downwardly from said axis in the same plane as said straight front edge portion, and an outwardly convex side edge formed as a continuation of and curving upwardly, inwardly and rearwardly from said convex front edge portion to said rear edge.

3. The buck of claim 2 in combination with a press including a steam applying head having a lower surface adapted to cover said upper surface and divided into substantially fiat and downwardly concave portions adapted to mate with said flat and convex upper surface portions respectively for blocking the shoulder of a garment -arranged over said buck with its front portion facing outwardly from said straight side edge, its shoulder seam extending along said flat upper surface portion substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, its sleeve and shoulder seam extending along said front edge portions and its collar seam extending along said concave edge.

4. The buck of claim 2 in combination with a press and another buck spaced from and formed as a mirror image of the first mentioned buck, with the convex upper surface portions of said bucks facing in opposite directions, said press including a steam applying head having a lower surface adapted to cover said upper surface of each buck and divided into a central substantially flat portion and outer downwardly concave portions adapted to mate with said flat and convex upper surface portions respectively for simultaneously blocking the opposite shoulders of two garments arranged over said bucks with their front portions facing outwardly from said straight side edges toward each other, their shoulder seams extending along said flat upper surface portions substantially parallel to said longitudinal axes, their sleeve and shoulder seams extending along said front edge portions and their collar seams extending along said rear edges.

5. The buck of claim 1 wherein said buck comprises a hollow upper buck portion having an elongated irregular outer contour of inverted, generally cup-shaped crosssection and including an upper wall portion having said upper surface, and front, rear and two side wall portions depending downwardly from said upper surface and having outer front, rear and side surfaces rounded at their corners and along their upper edges to merge smoothly with said upper surface, and wherein said longitudinal axis, said axes about which said convex upper surface portion curves and said flat upper surface portion are substantially horizontal, with said longitudinal axis and the aforesaid axes lying in a substantially vertical, longitudinal axial plane of said buck, .and said rear surface being of substantially vertical and outwardly concave, generally rectangular contour and curving outwardly and forwardly about a substantially vertical axis from said axial plane to one of said side surfaces to define on said flat upper surface portion a substantially horizontal and outwardly concave rear edge.

6. The buck of claim 5 wherein said one side surface is divided longitudinally into upper and lower portions of substantially flat and generally triangular contour, said lower portion being substantially vertical and parallel to said .axial plane and tapering forwardly from said rear surface to the lower edge of said front surface, and said upper portion being inclined upwardly and inwardly toward said axial plane from said lower portion to said flat upper surface portion and tapering rearwardly from said front surface to the upper edge of said rear surface to define on said fiat upper surface portion a substantially horizontal and straight side edge formed as a continuation of said rear edge and converging forwardly toward said axial plane.

7. The buck of claim 6 wherein said front surface is substantially flat and vertical and is divided by said axial plane into one portion of generally quadrangular contour and extending forwardly and inwardly from said upper side portion to said axial plane to define on said flat upper surface portion a substantially horizontal and straight front edge portion formed as a continuation of said side edge, and another portion of trilateral contour tapering forwardly and outwardly from said axial plane to the lower edge of the other of said side surfaces in the same plane as said one front surface portion to define on said convex upper surface portion an upwardly convex fi ont edge portion formed as a continuation of and curving downwardly from said straight front edge portion.

8. The buck of claim 7 wherein said other side surface is of outwardly convex and substantially vertical trilateral contour curving about a substantially vertical axis and tapering forwardly and outwardly from said rear surface to the lower edge of said other front surface portion to define on said convex upper surface portion an outwardly eonvex side edge formed as a continuation of and curving upwardly, inwardly and re-arwardly from said convex front edge portion to said rear edge.

9. The buck of claim 8 wherein said buck also comprises a hollow lower buck portion supporting said upper buck portion, and means fastening said upper buck portion on said lower buck portion, said lower buck portion having an elongated irregular outer contour of generally cup-shaped cross-section and including upstanding wall portions corresponding to said front, rear and side wall portions of said upper buck portion, said corresponding wall portions of both of said buck portions having thickened boss portions at their internal corners and terminating at their adjacent edges in mating peripheral surfaces provided with aligned openings extending into said boss portions and receiving said fastening means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,05 8,953 10/ 193 6 Coleman 2235'7 2,261,894 11/1941 Zammitti 3 8-36 2,655,294 10/1953 Sacchetti 22357 2,800,260 7/ 195 7 Mutolese 223-5 7 3,052,389 9/ 1962 Mutolese 223-57 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

15 G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUCK FOR BLOCKING A SHOULDER OF A GARMENT, SUCH AS A MAN''S SUIT COAT, AND COMPRISING AN ELONGATED QUADRILATED UPPER SURFACE ROUNDED AT ITS CORNERS AND ALONG ITS EDGES AND DIVIDED ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT QUADRILATERAL PORTION AND AN UPWARDLY CONVEX TRILATERAL PORTION, EACH OF SAID PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT END TO THE REAR END OF SAID UPPER SURFACE, AND SAID TRILATERAL PORTION BEING FORMED AS A CONTINUATION OF AND CURVING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FLAT PORTION ABOUT AXES SPACED BELOW AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH RADII OF CURVATURE DIMINISHING FROM THE FRONT END TO THE REAR END OF SAID UPPER SURFACE, 